Closer To You
by AGirlBrushedRed340
Summary: Her eyes still shone with unshed tears as she grasped at the ropes, leaning over them. Nobody could hear what she said, but Justin could read her lips clearly... "I hate you, Gabriel." Justin Gabriel/OC/Heath Slater.
1. Chapter 1

Her hands were clasped together in her lap as she sat on his bed, watching Justin packing his clothes up. He'd finally done it; he'd been called up for the first season of NXT along with a bunch of the other guys from FCW. But that also meant he was leaving, and it was that thought that made her stomach turn. She'd grown accustomed to his presence…grown used to seeing his face every single day. She wasn't sure how she'd go about not seeing him anymore.

"Aren't you going to say anything to me, Colbie?" She blinked blankly, casting her eyes up towards the man speaking to her. Laying her eyes on him made her want to cry all over again, but she swallowed back the tears. She was happy for him, his dream was coming true. _She was happy…right? _

"Sorry Justin… I'm just thinking." She mumbled a flaccid response, wringing her hands together as some sort of distraction. Justin was visibly dissatisfied with her response, dropping his open suitcase on the floor and plopping down on the bed next to her. They sat there together in silence for the longest while, before one of them finally spoke up.

"I'm really going to miss you." Colbie's voice was quiet as she finally said something; her head hanging a little lower if that was possible. Justin sighed quietly, and laid his hand on top of hers. The tears she'd been swallowing back finally dropped, a few wet splatters landing on top of his hand. He pulled his hand away from hers, only to wrap his arms around her in a tight hug. Almost instantly, her arms circled around his middle as she buried her face into his chest.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Bee." He whispered into her hair, placing a small kiss on top of her head. "But I promise I'm gonna call you every day and let you know how things are… and you'll watch NXT, won't you?" She nodded meekly against his chest, tilting her head up to look at him. He smiled down at her sadly, unshed tears lingering behind his hazel eyes.

"I'm always gonna be your best friend." He spoke softly, lifting his hand up to brush his fingers through her soft brown hair. Those words stung her, and always had. She just didn't realize how much it had always stung him too. She nodded lightly, nuzzling into his slightly wet chest.

"I love you, Angel." She murmured, feeling his grip tighten around her as his body tilted back to lean lay across his bed to where her head rested on his chest. She could hear the erratic thump of his heart underneath her ear, letting it lull her into a sense of calm.

"I love you too, Colbie." He responded by placing a few small kisses against the crown of her head as he finally let a few of his own tears fall. Once he left, he knew Colbie would find someone new, maybe even a boyfriend… He gritted his teeth together at the thought, his arms holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her. He didn't want anyone else to have her…

After they laid there for what felt like hours, Justin realized Colbie's breathing had slowed and she'd drifted to sleep against him. His fingers brushed through her hair slowly, then slowly slid down and caressed her face. He was desperately making sure he remembered every freckle, every scar, and every line that made her who she was. He'd met her when she started wrestling with FCW a few months after he had, and they instantly got along. He was charismatic and kind-hearted, and she was slightly naive and sugary-sweet. He'd watched her improve in the ring, helping her in any way that he could… but it never occurred to him that they'd be separated like this. The idea almost killed him.

Justin laid there for awhile with his fingers gently stroking her hair, before he knew he had to wake her up and finish packing. He had a flight to catch at 11 PM, and it was getting close to 8 now. Frowning softly, he started to push himself up on his elbows and gently shake Colbie.

"Colbie? Wake up, honey." He whispered softly, looking at her face with a sad smile. A sleepy frown slid over her face as she clung to him tighter, nuzzling against him softly.

"5 more minutes please baby…" She mumbled sleepily, and his eyes widened for a moment as he stared at her. After a moment, Justin felt her body stiffen slightly and had to hold back a small laugh.

"I'm baby now?" He asked her softly, watching as she cracked one of her eyes open and looked up at his grinning face.

"I was really hoping I was dreaming when I said that." She groaned embarrassedly, pulling from his grasp and sitting up quickly. He chuckled softly, pushing himself the rest of the way up and climbing to his feet. Glancing at the clock, he sighed and leaned off the bed to zip up his suitcase.

"I gotta get going soon." He said almost distantly, chewing on his lower lip as he glanced over at her. Her eyes grew sad and she felt tears pricking the back of her eyes again. Just for a little while, she'd forgotten that he was leaving her. He started to climb to his feet, but she grabbed his hand and stopped him halfway. He shifted his soft hazel eyes down to stare into her bright green ones. Her chest rose and fell heavily as every possible thought ran through her mind, mainly the fact that she was going to be losing him.

"Angel…" She murmured softly, tugging his hand so he fell back sitting next to her. He stared at her, his breath catching in his throat as she slid over and climbed into his lap and faced him. His arms slid around her waist, holding her to him tightly. Her fingers came up and slowly slid through his hair, before running down the side of his face to hold it. His eyes closed at the sensation of her fingers gently stroking his face, breathing in slowly as her lips pressed against his forehead. They traveled from there, placing soft kisses from his eyelids to the tip of his nose. His fingers pressed into her shirt as he opened his eyes, staring at her flushed face.

"Kiss me, Bee…" Justin whispered, drawing his face nearer hers. They met in the middle, lips melting together in something they had both been waiting for. Colbie's hands had slid up to his shoulders, her palms gently sliding up to stroke the curve of his neck.

Justin unwrapped one of his arms from around her with his lips still pressed against hers, grabbing one of her hands from his shoulder and lacing their fingers together, letting it fall against his chest. His tongue slipped between his lips and slid across hers, begging for the entrance he so desperately wanted. He felt her lips part, gratefully letting his tongue slide across hers. She squeezed his hand that held hers, a soft moan slipping from her mouth to his as his teeth grazed her lower lip.

The need for air became immense as they broke apart, staring at each other with heavy lidded eyes. He released her hand, only to bring both hands up to cup her face in his palms. He leaned in again, stopping just short of her lips as his phone started blaring. They were both shocked out of their reverie, glancing over at the phone sitting on his night stand.

"I-I should get that…" He stuttered softly, reluctantly watching her scramble to her feet and turn away from him. He grabbed his phone and answered it, greeted by a very loud Heath Slater yelling at him to hurry his ass to the airport.

"I'm coming." He sighed, clicking the end button and slipping it into his back pocket. Colbie had her back turned to him still, her hand gently running up and down her other arm nervously. Justin stepped towards her, his hands landing on her forearms to turn her around towards him. She was shocked as he spun her around; nearly tripping as he walked her backwards till she hit the nearest wall. But it wasn't anything compared to the shock she had as he kissed her again with such a force, it made her lips ache. She fumbled with her hands for a moment before her hands were grabbed and pinned against the wall by Justin beside her head, gasping softly as his lips left hers to trail down her neck. Her eyes closed as she pressed her body flush against his with want, whimpering lowly as he nipped at the skin.

"Why did you wait till now to do this?" He asked between bites and kisses, stopping to look at her for an answer. Her eyes got sad for a minute as he stared at her, biting his lower lip gently.

"I thought you'd reject me…" She whispered quietly, only to have his lips pressed against hers softly again. She'd never regretted waiting as much as she did at the moment, and he regretted being too chicken to even hint at it.

"You're gonna be late." Her voice made reality set in, the break in her voice not going unnoticed. His lips pressed to her forehead, before he walked away from her to grab his suitcases. She stayed standing awkwardly by the wall, watching as he picked up the last few of his things he'd need. He had left a drawer full of his t-shirts and sweatpants for her, in case she missed him… and she figured now she'd need them more than ever.

"You're still driving me to the airport, right? Well…riding there with me?" He asked her softly as he grabbed his hoodie, tossing it over his shoulder. She nodded, walking towards the door after him slowly.

The car ride was quiet; the only noise was the radio playing quietly in the background. Colbie's hands sat on her knees, her fingers incessantly tapping to try and hide her nerves. It was a whole lot easier than crying anymore. Justin caught sight of what she was doing, one of his hands letting go of the wheel to catch the hand nearest to him. His fingers laced with hers as he glanced at her for a minute, smiling at her in hopes of seeing her smile back. Her smile was soft and sad, not the usual warmth it was… but it was better than a frown. He leaned over slightly, bringing her hand up and kissing across her knuckles gently. This recited a much brighter smile from her and her cheeks flushing softly. It made the rest of the ride a little less tense, until they pulled into the airport parking lot of course.

They parked in the lane by the doors, knowing they wouldn't be there for long. Justin was out and around the car to open Colbie's door before she even realized they'd stopped, before he grabbed his suitcases out of the backseat and they headed into the airport together. She took one of his suitcases away from him, receiving a confused look until she gently clasped his now empty hand. He smiled at her softly, getting a forced smile in return. They walked for a few moments in silence, completely unaware of where they were headed until some familiar voices got their attention.

"JUSTIN! OVER HERE!" They both looked up to see the red-head known as Heath Slater flailing his arms and jumping around to get their attention. Colbie and Justin both laughed at the sight as they headed over, getting Justin's luggage checked in. Heath came up behind Colbie and wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up and spinning her around for a moment.

"HEATH! NO!" She cried out, kicking her legs and laughing as he finally dropped her to her feet.

"Is that any way to greet me, Colbs?" Heath asked, receiving a poke to his chest before wrapping her up in a big hug. And for a moment, she forgot that all her friends were leaving her… but only for a moment. The smile that was on her face slowly fell, as did Heath's.

"…You alright?" He asked quietly, noticing the sudden change in her demeanor. She shifted awkwardly on her feet as she stared at them, suddenly intrigued about how torn up her tennis shoes were.

"You're leaving too…" She answered quietly, looking up at him to see a small frown on his face. He nodded knowingly, before pulling her into another hug.

"She's taking it pretty hard, huh." Wade stopped next to Justin, seeing her as she stood numbly in Heath's arms. Justin pushed away his pang of jealousy to look up at Wade with a nod.

"Yeah. But she's been with FCW since about two weeks after I got there, and she's been friends with us three ever since then… it's kinda hard to go from seeing us almost every day, to whenever we come home." Justin ran his hand through his hair, watching as Heath finally released her only to give her a kiss on the forehead. That jealousy pang hit Justin again, harder that time. Of course, nothing was going on… but after kissing her, being kissed by her… he didn't like the thought of anybody else doing so.

The boarding call for the airplane played over the speakers, and Colbie looked around for Justin almost frantically. He hurried towards her, his arms wrapping around her waist tightly as hers slipped around his neck. He picked her up off the ground, holding her against him as he whispered words of comfort into her ear. That didn't stop the flow of tears that he felt on his shoulder, almost making him cry himself. He finally sat her back on her feet, gently taking her face in his hands. She sniffled softly as she stared up at him, her hands coming up to rest on his forearms. He wiped the tears from her face with his thumbs, glancing over at the guys as they headed their way.

"Ek is lief vir jou…" Justin whispered softly, leaning in and pressing his lips against hers. She kissed back softly, almost whimpering at the loss of contact as he backed away.

"I love you too." She sniffled, seeing the confused stares from the guys as they reached them. She received a few pats on the shoulders from the guys she didn't know so well, smiling politely at them. Wade was the next to come up to her, simply leaning down and planting a soft kiss on top of her head. As he leaned away, he gave her a small smile and a wink and went in the direction Justin was going with the others. Heath was the last, wrapping her up in a tight hug and giving her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be seein' you, Colbs." He whispered, and once he had walked away she started to cry again. She turned and watched as they headed through the gate, catching one last glance from Justin. She blew a kiss at him, managing a soft laugh as he pretended to catch it and press it against his chest. And then they were gone. She stood there staring out the large glass windows at the now empty runway. She stood there for a few moments, before numbly making her way back to Justin's car and climbing in the driver seat. Robotically, she drove back to his apartment and parked before heading upstairs. How she ended up lying in his bed, she couldn't quite figure out…but there she laid in the dark, her face buried in his pillow. And there she lay as she cried herself to sleep, the only thing on her mind the South African boy she'd lost.

Justin stared at his hands in his lap, ignoring the jabbering redhead sitting next to him as his mind wandered. For the first time since WWE had called him up, he almost regretted leaving. Instead of being on this long and incredibly ridiculous flight, all he wanted was to be wrapped up in Colbie. All he could think about was the way her lips felt against his, and the taste of her on his tongue… and he ached for more. He ached for _her. _

"Dude… Colbs is gonna be fine." Heath said quietly, as if reading the older man's mind. Justin looked up at Heath, chewing on the side of his lip.

"I think the real question is, if I'm going to be fine Heath." Justin sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. Heath nodded knowingly, turning his attention elsewhere to give the other some space. Justin turned his own attention towards the airplane window, staring out at the dark sky sadly.

_I miss you. _


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is super shorter... And I'm sorry. But it's just a filler for a better chapter to come next, I PROMISE. :) Thanks for the reviews, the favorites, and the story-alerts! You guys are fan-fucking-tastic! ;)

-Kate 3

* * *

A shrill song startled Colbie awake, almost making her roll off the bed as she desperately felt around for her phone in the dark. Once finding it, she clicked the answer button and held it to her ear.

"Hello?" She rubbed her eyes wearily, glancing over at the alarm on the nightstand. It was going on 4:00 AM.

"Colbie?" She sat up quickly, her heart thudding out of her chest at the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Angel…" She smiled softly, hearing the tired chuckle on the other end. She hadn't expected to hear from him after he landed, and she was glad he'd called.

"Hi sweetheart… did I wake you?" She grew slightly glassy-eyed at the name, switching ears as she lay down and faced the wall on the other side of her bed.

"No, Justin. You didn't." Her lie sounded quite convincing, until she yawned of course. He laughed again, and she relished the sound… she knew she wouldn't be hearing that as often as she used to.

"You're a terrible liar… but I just wanted to call you and let you know we landed, and we're all heading to the hotel to get some sleep. We have to film some promotional stuff tomorrow morning… Well, later today." She nodded softly even though he couldn't see, sniffling softly.

"Okay… I miss you." She said the last part quietly, part of her hoping he wouldn't hear it. But she knew better.

"I miss you too, baby." The tears finally slipped down her cheeks as she nuzzled down into his pillows, beginning to cry softly, "Don't cry…" Justin whispered, before another shout on his end had him sighing heavily.

"I'll talk to you soon, Justin." Colbie sniffled, rubbing her eyes softly.

"I'll call you first thing tomorrow sweetheart… I love you." She swallowed heavily, fumbling to pull some of his blankets over her slightly shaky frame.

"Okay… I love you too, Angel." The click on the other end signaled Justin had hung up without saying goodbye… and that sent Colbie into another set of tears. But he'd call tomorrow… right?

* * *

Eight months… it had been eight fucking months, since Justin had called. Colbie had called him almost every day, and while he was on NXT, he called her every night. They texted all the time, even talked on the webcam with each other. She'd went and seen him a few times, and it came to this. Ever since they had formed the Nexus, he distanced himself from her… At first, he just never answered his phone. Then the calls always went straight to voicemail, signaling his repeated use of the 'Fuck You' button… and it broke her heart. But she continued on with her life, as dull as it seemed to her. She kept wrestling, and working at the bar she bartended at and hoped… maybe he'd call her back.

But he never did. She'd even stopped watching wrestling after a few months, the thought of seeing his beautiful face making her stomach hurt. But unfortunately, she couldn't avoid him for long.

"Hey Colbie, come here!" One of the trainers at FCW had called her over after a training session one night, with an excited smile on his face. Making her way over, she saw that he was talking to J.R - the resident talent scout for WWE. He'd been out from commentating after a stroke, but was still scouting for talent. "He has an exciting offer for you…"

* * *

"Hey Justin, have you heard from Colbie any?" Justin heard that everyday from Heath, and it hurt him a little more.

"Nah." He answered Heath simply, receiving a heavy sigh from the West Virginian as he sat down on the hotel bed next to him.

"Dude, I fuckin' miss her." Justin had to swallow the lump in his throat, picking at his nails as he stared down.

"Me too," Clearing his throat, he climbed to his feet to search for his shoes. "But she has a life now that doesn't involve all of us." Heath pursed his lips to the side, pushing a hand back through his sun-kissed red locks.

"I never see you call her anymore… Maybe that's why." Justin ignored the comments of his friend, pulling his shoes on and grabbing his bags.

"I don't wanna talk about this… Let's head to the arena." Heath shook his head as he stood up, grabbing his hoodie and slipping it on.

"I'm calling her later. You don't have to talk to her, but I want to… Now let's go." Justin cringed, running a hand through his hair. The only reason he'd avoided her was because he knew she'd be disappointed in what he'd become, and what he was doing. The useless attacks, the cheating in matches… He was raised better than that, and he knew it would hurt her. Justin hated himself for what he'd become, and if he did… then there was no doubt that Colbie did too.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Gaspies. Another update. ;D I'm feeling super generous.. Now this update, deeeeeeefinitely a long one. And I'm sorry if I'm throwing a lot at everyone at once, but like... I'm having issues at where I should cut the story off. I don't want it too short... I'd rather a story be too long. AAAAANYWAY.

* * *

This was it, what she'd been waiting for. After meeting with J.R, she'd flown up to meet Mr. McMahon and they'd decided to bring her onto TV. WWE Smackdown, to be exact. She had been so ecstatic about finally getting her chance to be a WWE Diva… that is, until he explained what her role would be. But it was her shot, and she wasn't going to let anybody ruin it. So she signed all the paperwork, went back to her apartment and packed, and was on her way to her first taping. Her knuckles were almost white as she gripped the steering wheel; practically chewing a hole threw her bottom lip as she pulled into the arena parking lot.

"Dammit Colbie, get out of the fucking car." She hissed at herself as she stared at the arena, taking an extra 10 minutes to mentally prepare herself before she got out and grabbed her bag. She hurried inside the building, stopping one of the backstage tech's to ask a few questions about where she was supposed to be going. Once getting to her designated locker room, she sat on a bench the farthest away from the door… and tried to get herself ready for the night. She was so scared, it was ridiculous. She'd tried calling Justin more than once to tell him… but she figured Vince had already let the guys know. And if he hadn't… well, they'd all be getting a surprise later.

* * *

The Corre stood in the ring, staring dominatingly up the ramp. Wade paraded around with a microphone in his hand, his usual cocky smirk painted across his face.

"Now, as you've all seen the past few weeks… we have nothing but dominate the wrestlers here. The Big Show being the main person… You're a rather large man, Show. And though there are four of us and only one of you...We'd still like it if you'd come down here please. We'll be civil, and talk like real gentleman." Wade let his hand drop to his side, waiting patiently. He didn't have to wait long for Big Show's music to start up, and the large man bounded down to ringside to fetch a microphone, before entering the ring. He stood on the other side of the ring away from The Corre, with a grin like the cat that just got the canary.

"Wade, Wade, Wade…" He clicked his tongue and continued, "You and your lackeys haven't dominated anybody at all. In fact, all you've done is gang up on wrestlers that are already hurting after their matches. And seeing as how I don't believe that you could ever be a gentleman, I have some back-up that I'd like to invite down here… If that's alright, of course." Wade held his hands up, before waving his hand at the ramp as if to tell them to come.

Music started blaring through the speakers, and the first man out was Rey Mysterio. Wade and the rest of the Corre had attacked him after their match in the previous weeks, making him yet another victim of a senseless beat down. After he reached the ring and climbed in, Kofi Kingston's music started and the bouncy man bounded down to the ring and slid in rather quickly. The Corre hadn't went after him yet, but it was only a matter of time… especially now.

"Alright, alright… I know you might be a bit slow in the head from the beatings and all, Show… But I'm counting, and I still only see three of you. While there's four of us… so how does that make you really feel any safer?" The laugh that the Big Show let out not only shocked The Corre, it worried them all deeply. Heath and Justin gave each other a sideways glance, a frown on their faces… He had something planned, and it didn't settle right with any of them.

"What's so bloody funny?" Wade spat, taking a few steps closer to the large man. Big Show held his hand up, wiggling a finger at him.

"If you'll stop rushing me, I'll bring my fourth person out here. They're new to the company, but I have a feeling that they'll be pretty helpful." He waved his hand towards the top of the ramp, grinning crookedly.

An unfamiliar song started to play, and every person in that ring and in the crowd was staring anxiously up the ramp.

"_I wish my girlfriend was more like you…"_

And out pranced a tall brunette, the smile on her face nearly knocking down ¾'s of The Corre. Breaking kayfabe was something you didn't do, but Justin couldn't help his gawking. Colbie was walking down the ramp, dressed in wrestling gear - a glare reserved just for the four men of The Corre. She slid underneath the bottom rope, climbing to her feet and placing her hands on her hips as she stared them down. The crowd's reaction was crazy, shocked that a girl was involved… and the fact that she was gorgeous didn't hurt anything. He looked at Heath, his friend's reaction mimicking his own.

"Holy shit, dude." Heath whispered, turning to look up at Wade. His calm façade hadn't broke, his lips still pressed in a thin line on his face. He looked down at the ground for a minute, his lips pursed to the side before looking back up again and laughing.

"A woman, Big Show? Really? What in the world could she do, to help you?" The crowd began to boo, causing Wade's smirk to widen and Colbie to take a few steps towards him. She held her hand back towards the giant behind her, taking the microphone from him before stepping toe-to-toe with Wade. She threw a cocky grin up at the Englishmen, lifting the microphone up to her lips.

"I can do a hell of a lot more than you think." Colbie answered simply, crossing her arms across her chest as she stared up at the man towering over her. Justin chewed on his lip, immediately finding his boot covers so much more interesting than they originally were.

"What can you do exactly?" He sneered, and she snickered quietly and took a step back.

"Oh, I don't know… Distract you, I guess?" Once the words had left her lips, the whole group glanced around the ring to realize the other three men had all spread out around them. Before The Corre had a chance to even move, they were all getting the same beat down's they had given or would've eventually given the other men. Justin was knocked down to his knees, grabbing the back of his head in pain from a fore-arm he'd taken to it. He glanced up and saw Colbie walking towards him, noticing the pained look in her eyes.

"Colbie…" Justin said quietly, his eyes growing wider as she sped up and delivered a big boot directly to his face. He fell to his back, his hands covering his face as he rolled around in pain. Looking up as she stood over him, he saw the tears settling in her eyes.

"You're worthless." Colbie simply whispered, before kicking him in the side as hard as she could. As he flopped around, she delivered kick after brutal kick to his now-aching ribs. He rolled over to the ropes in escape, only to be dropkicked from the ring and onto the hard floor. The rest of the Corre had gathered around the ring in shambles, grabbing onto each other to pull themselves together as the other wrestlers all stood at the edge of the ring watching them with grins… except for Colbie. Her eyes still shone with unshed tears, her upper lip curled aggressively as she grasped at the ropes, leaning over them. Nobody could hear what she said, but Justin could read her lips clearly.

"I hate you, Gabriel."

* * *

"Hey, are you okay?" Rey had seen the tears slipping down her face once they'd headed to the back, and couldn't understand why she was crying. It was her WWE debut; she was teaming up with a team of top WWE Superstars to take out one of the top factions terrorizing them all.

"I'm fine." Her answer was short and snappy as she pulled her hoodie on over her ring gear, not even bothering to get changed into her street clothes. She wasn't stopping to eat or anything, all she wanted to do was climb into bed and cry herself to sleep… much like she had almost every night since Justin left.

"You're lying, chica… but alright. You got my number if you need me, alright?" Colbie smiled at him gently, nodding as she grabbed her gym bag and hoisted it onto her shoulders. She gave him a small wave as she left the locker-room, heading down the hallway and back towards the exit - hopefully without seeing any old friends. She could handle seeing Wade, Heath even… but Justin wasn't someone she looked forward to seeing or dealing with at all. She'd even begged to be put on RAW, even as a weak valet for a middle-carder. But Vince had bigger plans for her, regardless of how they hurt her. When she signed a developmental contract, she agreed to do anything Vince had her do… and now he almost regretted it.

"Home free…" She whispered as the doors she came in were in view, walking a little quicker. All she had to do was get in her car, head to the hotel… maybe stop at the bar, then go upstairs and go to sleep. But things are never that simple.

* * *

"Colbie?" Her name made her freeze on the spot, her jaw clenching as her heart accelerated. She spun around slowly, coming face to face with the Poster Boy of South Africa… who was sporting a nice black eye. She grinned internally, knowing she was the one who put it there… then accepted the rush of guilt she felt afterwards silently.

"Justin." She said his name as more of a statement, her arms crossing over her chest. The man in front of her dropped his bag, taking a few steps closer to her.

"Is that really you?" She snorted loudly, running a hand across her face in annoyance.

"No, Justin. I'm a goddamn doppelganger." Her words came out snarky and angry, causing Justin's face to fall momentarily. Her lips twitched downwards before she pulled them back into a smooth line, tilting her head at him, "What do you want? I wanna go to the hotel and get some sleep." She was growing impatient, and emotional. She didn't wanna see him any other time than in the ring, and she could already see he was gonna make it hard. He dropped his gym back on the floor, walking nearer to her until he was looking down at her.

"Colbie, I…" Justin started to speak, his mouth left open as he searched for the words Colbie knew he'd never find. Sorry would never be good enough.

"Eight months, Justin. Eight. Fucking. Months, Justin." She spat, dropping her bag onto the floor by her feet. His face fell as she pressed a finger into his chest, glaring at him angrily.

"I waited eight fucking months, for you to call me. Even if you had called me to tell me about a new girlfriend, all I needed was to hear from you. You went from calling me every night, to not calling me at all! And what did I do? Absolutely nothing! You went and did your stupid show, and even after you got voted off… You had more chances than ever to talk to me, but that's when the calls started getting fewer. Wade was already planning this stupid Nexus thing even then, and you pushed me away because of it! Why? I wanna know why!" Colbie was shouting now as she shoved him, the tears burning her eyes and blurring her vision. Justin wasn't doing much better, tears slowly falling down his cheeks as he held his hands up helplessly.

"ANSWER ME!" That time she screamed, shoving him against the brick hallway wall.

"BECAUSE!" He shouted, breathing heavily as he stared at her. She was on the verge of hysterics, her shaky legs barely managing to hold her up.

"I was embarrassed of what I was going to do, what I was becoming! And if I was embarrassed, I knew you would be!" He yelled at her, which only seemed to make her angrier. She charged at him now, one of her hands fisting in his shirt as she shoved him back against the wall again. Colbie's temper could get out of control, but Justin had never seen her this angry before, especially at him… and that only made him feel worse.

"Why in the hell would you think that, you idiot? Right before you leave, I end up telling you I love you… and you think something so stupid is going to embarrass me?" Her hand limply fell from his shirt and down to her side as she stepped away from him, wiping her face with the sleeve of her hoodie.

"I loved you." She stated sadly, turning to grab her bag off the ground.

"What do you mean…you loved me?" Justin asked quietly as he slowly walked at her, watching her gather her things.

"You don't love me anymore?" His voice came out quieter that time, and strangled…like saying those words could kill him. He knew it was wrong to expect her to still feel the same after almost a year of ignoring her, but his feelings hadn't changed at all. In fact, they'd grown even stronger. Distance makes the heart grow fonder was a true saying, in his case at least. He walked up behind her, gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Please answer me…" He whispered, and she turned around to face him. His heart broke once he saw she was crying again, but not out of anger. This was a sadness he had never seen from her before.

"No, Justin. I don't… and it's your fault." She picked up her bag, giving him a weak smile.

"I don't wanna talk to you, or see you unless it's for Smackdown. So just leave me alone, Justin. And we can both go on with our lives." Justin's hand fell from her shoulder, hanging limply by his side as he watched her hurry out the door. He stood there staring at the door for awhile, not able to make much sense of what had just happened. She was lying, he just knew it… there was no way she couldn't…right?

"Hey dude, did you catch Colbie before she left?" A hand clasped on his shoulder that belonged to his ginger friend, who gave him a hopeful smile. Until he saw Justin's face, that is.

"Dude… are you okay?" Justin blinked blankly, raising his hand up to push through his hair slowly before turning and looking at Heath.

"She doesn't love me anymore." Was his simple response… because it was the only thing that made any sense.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Hey everyone! :D Once again, this chapter's a little long... but I'd rather give too much, than too little and feel like a slacker. I hope you enjoy it. :3 And thank you guys, for the awesome reviews, favs, and everything! You're fucking amazing. 3

-Kate.

* * *

The drive back to the hotel had been a difficult one, resulting in her nearly wrecking a few times because of how hard she was crying. Once she'd arrived at the hotel, she had calmed down reasonably enough to climb out of her car and carry her luggage in. She checked in as quickly as possible, keeping her head down so nobody saw her flushed face and blood-shot eyes. After she finished, she headed up to her room and threw her luggage on the bed before turning around and going right back downstairs to the bar. Crying hadn't made her feel any better at all, so maybe a few drinks would help.

Once she was down at the bar, she ordered three shots of tequila back to back and a beer. Colbie downed the shots as they came, practically forgetting about her beer as she ordered three more. She was fumbling with the beer bottle, trying to pop the cap off when someone sat next to her at the bar.

"Hey Colbs." She felt the bottle being taken from her hand, watching as the red-headed man next to her knocked the cap off and handed it back to her. His face was cautious, as if he was expecting the same reaction she'd given Justin… well, of course he'd told Heath what happened.

"Hey Heath." She stated simply, pressing the bottle to her lips and downing it in a matter of seconds. Heath's eyes widened as she slammed the bottle on the counter, before picking up two of the new shots and shooting them.

"Woah, easy there sug." He patted her arm gently, ordering a beer from the bartender and another couple of shots for the both of them. "How are you kiddo?" The man next to her asked her softly, nodding at the bartender as he picked up his own beer and uncapped it. The brunette tossed back another set of shots, the effects of the alcohol already hitting here.

"Fuckin' miserable. How 'bout you, Wendy?" She snorted, receiving a stern glare from Heath. She clapped a hand on his shoulder, shooting him a bright smile. "Just kidding. Well, at least about the Wendy part… I really am fucking miserable." Her smile fell as she picked up the fresh beer that the bartender had left her, managing to get the cap off it much easier than the previous one. Heath frowned sadly, staring down at his beer bottle.

"I'm sorry babe. I'm assuming it has something to do with Justin… I tried to make him call you. I tried to get him to tell you about the whole Nexus thing, and he just…wouldn't. He was so embarrassed that he had to stoop to that level to get some respect, when it wasn't even his idea… He just followed what Wade did, like all of us did. He told me not to call you…" The older man trailed off, taking another swig of his beer and chasing that with one of the shots he'd ordered.

"And you listened? God, you're just as big of an idiot as he is." She grumbled, taking a long drink of her beer and dropping it down onto the bar.

"So, you wanna get drunk?" Heath glanced over at her, stifling a quiet laugh.

"You're already halfway there, babydoll. But sure." She shot him a bright smile and picked her beer back up, holding it up towards him.

"To a night that hopefully neither of us will remember." He laughed at her toast speech, clinking his beer bottle against hers gladly.

* * *

3 hours and a whole lot of alcohol later, both Heath and Colbie were trashed. They had passed the time by with talks of the times they'd had before Heath left for NXT.

"Y-you know… I really hated leaving the way we did. And then Justin's bullshit about not asking us to call you… I hated it. All I wanted to do was talk to you." Heath frowned, tossing back another shot as Colbie did the same. She slammed her shot glass down on the bar, turning on the stool to look at Heath.

"I don't know why he did this, Heath. He told me he loved me and everything, and I thought that maybe after a frigging year of waiting, he'd wanna be with me… but I guess all that shit he did was just… well, shit." Her eyes started to glisten with tears, which didn't go unnoticed by Heath - despite how drunk he was.

"Hey, no… d-don't cry, okay? You're too pretty to cry." He laid a hand on her arm, smiling at her crookedly as she glanced up at him and sniffled.

"Justin doesn't think so." She answered simply, a few of the tears finally rolling down her cheeks. Heath huffed, spinning his stool around to face her and almost falling off sideways in the process.

"Well, he's a fucking idiot and I told him that. You're beautiful, Colbs." Heath answered her honestly, receiving a soft smile in return from her. She had opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the bartender.

"I hate breaking this up guys, but we gotta close." He smiled apologetically, before going back to cleaning up. Heath nodded and looked at Colbie, seeing that she was still smiling at him.

"Can you walk?" He asked, pushing his hair out of his face. Colbie snorted, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

"I dunno…let me try." She scooted down off the stool, standing straight for about two seconds before nearly falling over in the floor. Heath's hand wrapped around her arm, catching her as he climbed to his feet.

"I'll walk you upstairs to your room, just let me text Justin and tell him I'll be up to the room in a minute." Colbie nodded softly, leaning back against the stool as Heath walked a few steps away from her. But instead of texting Justin, he decided that calling him might be a little easier. He dialed the familiar number, listening to it ring a few times before Justin answered.

"Hey Justin -" He was cut off by the other man, jumping slightly.

"Dude, where the hell are you?" He practically shouted, causing Heath to pull the phone away from his ear.

"Relax, man. I've been down at the bar with Colbie… she's really drunk so I'm taking her back to her room, and then I'll be upstairs." The silence on the other end of the line told Heath that the other man was either shocked, or upset by what he'd heard. Heath sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "I'm taking her to her room now and then I'll be upstairs." He pressed the end button, turning to see Colbie smiling at him softly.

"Come on, sweetness." Heath smiled, walking over and wrapping one of his arms around her waist to lead her out of the bar and to the elevators. He pressed the button, glancing down to see the younger woman still staring up at him. "See something you like?" He teased, grinning lopsidedly at her.

"I do…" She trailed off, pushing Heath inside the elevator once it had opened and against the wall. His eyes widened as she pressed her hands against his chest, staring up at him with a small smile. His hands slid down to rest on her hips out of instinct alone, his tongue running across his lower lip slowly.

Colbie took that as an invitation, standing up on her toes to press her lips against Heath's eagerly. Her arms had slid up to wrap around his neck, pulling him closer to her body with a soft whimper. Heath was shocked, even in his drunken state at her reaction towards him. And a part of his brain knew it was wrong, knew that she still belonged to Justin despite their current situations… but a bigger part of his brain liked the way she felt pressed against him, the way her lips molded against his so perfectly. And once her tongue swiped his lower lip, the part of his brain that was against what he was doing decided to shut the hell up.

In her inebriated state, Colbie was desperate for the attention. Especially after her run-in with Justin earlier that day, all she wanted was to feel something…anything. Even if it was at the expense of Justin's best friend, and someone really important to her. Her hands roamed up to push through his hair as her tongue battled with his, feeling his fingers digging into her sides as he pulled her body tighter against hers.

At some point, one of them had fumbled around and found the elevator buttons, pushing what they hoped was the right button; lips still connected. His hands had crept underneath her shirt, grazing across her back once the elevator finally came to a stop. They broke apart to glance at the floor number, relieved to see it had stopped on the right floor. Colbie gave Heath a smirk, grabbing his hands and pulling him out of the elevator with her. They stumbled down the hallway, laughing as their lips repeatedly and sloppily found each other's.

"What room are you in?' Heath panted quietly, pressing Colbie against the wall and covering her neck with kisses and bites…which made it hard for her to remember at the moment.

"Um… I think 344?" Her hand fumbled down in her pockets until she fished out her key card, attempting to read the numbers on it. After a few moments, she held it out to Heath with a sheepish grin. He glanced down at it and nodded to confirm her room number, practically dragging her down the hall to the room. He stuck her card in the slot, turning the knob and walking inside with her. And somehow in the next five seconds afterward, Heath ended up lying on his back on the bed with Colbie crawling on top of him.

"Colbie…" His breath hitched in his throat as her lips pressed against his throat, working their way to the side of his neck and then up to his lips. He grabbed at her shirt, using it to flip her over on the bed so he could crawl on top of her. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers one last time, some of the harder effects of the alcohol finally wearing off. He pulled away slowly, one of his hands coming up to push her hair away from her face.

"Colbie, we can't do this… Did you forget about Justin…?" And it was just like he flipped a light switch on. The flirty smile that had been on her face was replaced by a lock of confusion, followed by one of pure shock. She practically pushed Heath off of her, scooting up the bed like she'd just been burnt.

"Oh my God, oh my God." She started breathing heavily, small tears already rolling down her cheeks as her hands came up to cover her face. She couldn't believe herself, she'd almost used Heath just so she'd feel like someone cared. "Heath, I'm so sorry… I -" Her voice cracked as her body was racked with sobs, her whole frame shaking as she slumped over in front of him. He bit down on his lower lip, crawling back up the bed to sit next to her.

"Come here, Colbs." He murmured, pulling her into his arms and resting his chin on top of her head as she continued to sob. He stroked her back gently, gently rocking her back and forth as he whispered gentle words of reassurance in her ear.

"I love him so much, Heath…" She cried brokenly against his chest, her fingers twisting into his shirt as he held her tighter. She laid against him, sobbing for what seems like hours before she managed to sob herself out completely and had passed out. Heath gently laid her down on the bed, tugging some of the blankets up to cover her small frame with. And as she laid there, any sign of her breakdown wouldn't have been obvious to someone that hadn't seen her just moments ago. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss against her forehead and brushed her tear wetted hair away from her face. Heath dropped her keycard on the table next to the bed, quietly making his way out of her room and hurrying back to his and Justin's.

* * *

Justin's fingers raked through his hair for probably the thousandth time since Heath had called him earlier. It shouldn't have taken him more than 5 minutes to get her to her room, and it'd been well over half an hour since Justin had heard from him. Heath was his best friend… he wouldn't do anything with Colbie, right? Climbing off the bed, he paced the floor for a few more minutes before the sound of a key card sliding into the door alerted him Heath was back. He beat him to the door, yanking it open and staring at the other man eagerly. Heath's eyes widened as he stepped in, cocking an eyebrow at the smaller man.

"Chill, bro." Heath mumbled, walking past Justin as he shut the door. Justin walked behind him, digging his hands into his pockets as Heath fell down on the bed and covered his face.

"So… how was she?" Justin asked quietly, sitting down next to Heath and staring at the floor. Heath sat up, putting his hands on his knees and he looked over at Justin.

"She was a miserable, drunk mess." He answered simply and quite bitterly, leaning down to unlace his shoes and pull them off. Justin's face fell as he picked at his fingernails, not daring to look at the other man out of sheer embarrassment. It was his fault that Colbie was like that, and he knew it.

"I mean, Goddamnit Justin. She's in bad shape. She drank me under the table, man. And I had to sit there and watch her cry because she poured her fucking heart out to you before you left, and you dropped her within a few months. Seriously, bro… what in the hell was that about? She wouldn't have cared about the Nexus shit… You did some irreparable damage to her… which I don't get. If I had a girl half as fucking wonderful as she was throwing herself at me, I'd snatch that shit up in a heartbeat!" Heath's ramble was fueled partly by alcohol, and partly by the fact that Justin had really fucked up by hurting her, and a small part of Heath that had always had a thing for the girl.

Justin, on the other hand just stared at the redheaded man in shock. He couldn't believe what Heath was telling him, and even worse… he couldn't believe he agreed with him.

"You're right…" Justin whispered quietly, looking over at Heath with a sigh. His friend glanced over at him, and not another word was said as they both got ready for bed. What else was there to be said? Justin had royally fucked up, and fixing it was not an option. So it seemed like Heath was doing it for him…and that steamed Justin more than he was willing to admit. With a sigh, he climbed under the covers and turned to stare at the wall.

"You gotta talk to her, man." Heath mumbled drowsily, running his palms down his face. Justin nodded as if the man was looking at him, scooting farther under the covers and falling into an uneasy sleep.


End file.
